Speakers at the Housing and Community Development Commission’s community forum presented a series of firsthand accounts and survey findings about homelessness in Vallejo and urged the commission to act.

Marco Cardenas, a homeless‑services advocate and founder of PAP Finance for Hope, said his nonprofit conducted direct interviews with unhoused men and found the unsheltered population grew by roughly 50% between 2022 and 2024, from about 450 to about 682 people. "74% of people who actively reach out to agencies or nonprofits that need help didn’t receive any services," Cardenas said, and he told commissioners the data show high levels of dissatisfaction and a breakdown in service delivery.

The commission’s members thanked Cardenas and agreed to work with staff to agendize a fuller presentation of his findings. "This has been the most concise data set we've received on homelessness from the community in the last three years," one commissioner said, and staff agreed to review the material and propose a future agenda slot so commissioners could consider the data in depth.

Other public commenters described individual incidents and service gaps. Jose Carrizales recounted the case of a 74‑year‑old unsheltered woman who was directed, he said, either to go to the hospital or face arrest during a displacement near the public library; he said her belongings were discarded and that the outcome was "undignified." Cheryl Iamu described a long‑running sewage problem at her rental property and said it led to hospital visits for her and her son; housing staff acknowledged the submission and committed to contact her with next steps.

Marissa Serafino, a member of the City’s Human Relations Commission, relayed concerns about encampment sweeps and property retention: the Human Relations Commission had been told by the city attorney that personal items are held for a period, but Serafino said the reports her commission receives indicate items have been discarded. She also raised a possible utilization gap in vouchers, saying staff had reported a number of vouchers in the program that were not in active use and urged staff to work with commissions to help residents apply.

City staff and the council liaison described city efforts and next steps. Director Dorita Jones said staff would notify prior CDBG applicants about that funding decision (separate agenda item) and would work on a process to contact and help affected nonprofits. The council liaison reported that the Housing Authority had received a state grant of more than $700,000 and that staff will bring recommendations on use of those funds. The liaison also said the city will take over coordination of the local homeless roundtable and work to integrate case management and HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) referrals to better track service needs and reduce duplication.

No commission action to change policy or adopt a new program was taken at the meeting; commissioners requested that staff and the chair schedule Cardenas’s full presentation and that staff follow up on individual complaints and encampment item‑retention reports.